The families of Peter Sutcliffe's victims have accused Netflix of 'glorifying' the late serial killer in its new documentary, which premieres on 16 December.
The four-part series will chart the horrific crimes carried out by Sutcliffe, who died in hospital last month at the age 74, having contracted coronavirus.
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According to the Sunday Times, the documentary was originally set to be called Once Upon a Time In Yorkshire, but the title was later changed to The Ripper.
However, the families of the victims - some of whom feature in the series - have spoken out in protest of the series and its name change, arguing the project 'treats Peter Sutcliffe like a celebrity'.
Sharing an open letter with the outlet, relatives said they regret taking part in the docu-series, explaining: "The moniker 'the Yorkshire Ripper' has traumatised us and our families for the past four decades.
"It glorifies the brutal violence of Peter Sutcliffe, and grants him a celebrity status that he does not deserve.
"Please remember that the word 'ripper' relates to ripping flesh and the repeated use of this phrase is irresponsible, insensitive and insulting to our families and our mothers' and grandmothers' legacies."
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They added that they would not have taken part if they had known the title would be changed to a term that has haunted them for decades, and that they felt betrayed by the filmmakers.
The letter was signed by relatives of seven of Sutcliffe's victims - Emily Jackson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne MacDonald, Vera Millward, Olive Smelt, Wilma McCann and Irene Richardson - along with survivors Marcella Claxton and Mo Lea.
Netflix has defended the documentary, telling the newspaper: "This is not a series about Sutcliffe but a sensitive re-examination of the crimes within the context of England in the late 1970s.
"This was a time of radical change: a time of poverty and misogyny in which Sutcliffe's victims were dehumanised by the media and the police, and that resulted in the perpetrator evading capture for five years.
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"This series has at its heart the stories of the women who died."
Sutcliffe's five-year killing spree resulted in one of the biggest police manhunts in the UK's history.
After being captured, he spent almost four decades locked away in prison and Broadmoor Hospital for murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven more between 1975 and 1980.
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Outlining what we can expect from the series, which comes from thesame team who brought us Don't F*** With Cats, Netflix said: "We hear from investigators, journalists, survivors and the victims' families on their stories, and how the prejudices and misogyny of the time played a part in these women being so tragically let down."
LADbible has contacted Netflix for comment.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Netflix